Starstruck: A Journalist’s Pursuit of a Fugitive Pop Star, Her Diabolical Maestro, and Their Teenage Sex Cult

McDougall (Born to Run) delivers a propulsive, horrifying account of the sexual abuse scandal involving Mexican pop singer Gloria Trevi and her manager, Sergio Andrade, which he previously covered in 2001’s Girl Trouble. Moved to “learn more, dig deeper, and understand [the case] better” in the years after publishing that book, McDougall revisits the case with a new focus on his own reporting and an expanded scope that traces developments over the past two decades. In the 1990s, as Trevi’s fame grew, Andrade opened a music school in his home, forcing Trevi to weaponize her celebrity and lure new recruits for him to sexually abuse—some as young as 12. When accusations of kidnapping and rape began to surface, Andrade and Trevi fled Mexico with a group of “students,” remaining undetected for two years until they were found in Brazil, with several of the teens and Trevi pregnant by Andrade. Detailing his yearslong pursuit of Andrade and Trevi, and the fallout after Trevi was cleared of wrongdoing in 2004, McDougall constructs an appalling cautionary tale about craving fame and the mechanics of abuse. It’s riveting, though not for the faint of heart. Agent: Richard Pine, InkWell Management. (Apr.)